


Jones

by dralexreid



Series: Dr Piper Bishop [8]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:01:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27041668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dralexreid/pseuds/dralexreid
Summary: Gideon and his team go to New Orleans when a case involving a serial killer believed to be a copycat of Jack the Ripper is reopened after a fourth victim is found dead, just after the murderer was presumed to be killed in Hurricane Katrina two years earlier. Piper and Spencer both try to deal with their personal traumas and Derek is there to support her through it.
Relationships: Dr Spencer Reid/Dr Piper Bishop
Series: Dr Piper Bishop [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1972852
Kudos: 26





	Jones

There were no jokes today. Everyone was roughed up by the last case, worst of it getting to Piper. She had no appetite, her head hurt and she had dark circles under her eyes. The cup of coffee in her hand was symbolic more than anything else. Even Garcia was worried.

“I’ve been on my toes all day after the plant debacle.”

“And?” Emily prodded at the blonde tech analyst.

“And nothing. 3 days I’ve been on the edge of my seat. Nothing.”

Emily was caught in a loop. On one side, Reid still seemed on edge with her. On the other, her closest friend since joining was silent. She hadn’t said a word all day. It was disquieting to see the two youngest agents so miserable. “We’ve got a serial killer in New Orleans who killed at least 3 men pre-Katrina. Until now, the New Orleans police department believed that the serial killer died in the storm, except a fourth body was found in the French Quarter last night. Same M. O, another male, throat slashed, eviscerated.”

“A year and a half is a long cooling-off period,” Emily added. “Are we sure this is the same unsub?”

“He claims to be,” JJ answered. “He sent a letter to William LaMontagne, the lead detective on the case. Except…” She hesitated. “He died in Katrina. His son is actually leading the case now.”

Hotch spoke softly. “Well, we need to pour over the evidence from the first 3 murders and determine the pattern.” JJ hesitated before speaking again.

“Katrina washed everything away. The 3 victims we know of, their autopsy reports, witness statements. DNA test results.” All they had to go on was the latest victim. Piper looked at the four victims, their lifeless eyes.

^-^

Piper sat cross-legged on the couch in the jet, trying to focus on the poem in her hand, wrapped in a blanket. Gideon sat next to her, left leg over right knee, staring absently at Morgan’s converse. JJ leaned on the table next to Derek, organising what little they had in their files. Reid, for once, was staring out the window from his spot next to Morgan. “What’s goin’ on up there?”

“Just thinking of this old friend of mine, from Las Vegas. Ethan,” he said.“Pretty sure he lives in New Orleans now.”

“You gonna give him a call?”

“We grew up competing against each other In absolutely everything. Spelling bees, science fairs, we also both had our hearts set on joining the bureau, but the first day at Quantico, he backed out.” Emily smiled from her corner on the jet, file on her lap. “He probably just couldn’t take the heat.” It quickly disappeared as he looked back at her. “It’s not really for us to judge, is it?” Before it could get any more heated, JJ interjected, unaware of the tension.

“These are copies of the newspaper articles on the murders, dating back to early August 2005. It’s all we have to go on.”

“He killed 3 times, he stopped for 18 months, then he started killing again,” recapped Hotch.

“We should have Garcia run a list of any offenders in the area. Anyone who spent the last year and a half doing time.”

“Or anyone that relocated after Katrina and recently moved back,” the young genius added.

“There’s no pattern in victimology either. A mechanic, a real estate broker, a cook and now taxi driver, all between 22 and 45. No attraction to age or occupation,” Piper spoke up softly, her throat dry from not speaking so long.

“They just don’t seem to have very much in common,” JJ agreed.

“Besides being male and walking the French Quarter late at night,” Morgan noted.

“Which is notorious for muggings off the main drag,” she continued.

“Yeah, but this guy isn’t in a rush to flee the scene. A slaughter like this takes time.”

“Andrei Chikatilo fantasised that the men he killed were his captives and that torturing and mutilating them somehow made him a hero,” Spencer remembered.

“Could be a sign of confidence or arrogance,” Piper nodded slowly, only briefly making eye contact with Spencer, eyes still heavy. Taking a deep breath, she plunged. “So where do we start?”

“With a case like this, from square one.”

^-^

Piper ducked under the yellow tape behind Gideon. She felt the bile threaten to rise as she glanced at the blood spatter. She only faintly heard the detective flirting with JJ, before looking up to see the letter the detective handed to her. Her gaze flew over the typed words just before she felt her stomach turn. “It’s a detailed account of the murder,” she glanced at Morgan and Gideon. Derek pulled out his phone to check in with Reid and Prentiss.

_“M.E said MO’s the exact same as the other three victims. It’s like they were dissected. No defensive wounds, so likely a blitz attack. No hesitation or rapid thrusts, the unsub was methodical. Probably has medical training.”_

“Thanks, Reid.” Morgan turned back to see Piper’s short dark hair duck into a small alcove.

“You see me from out there?” Her voice was slightly muffled. He chuckled. She edged back out of the alcove between buildings. “It’d be pretty easy to hide out in one of these alcoves, wait for the victim without ever being seen.”

William LaMontagne Jr’s accent rang clear. “Yeah, all 4 murders occurred within a 10-block radius here inside the French Quarter.”

“On any given night,” JJ walked up to the three of them, “there would have to be thousands of people walking through here from the bars.” The detective nodded.

“Tens of thousands, when I first started as a cop. I worked in the quarter. It’s like being in the riot squad every night.” A hazy look came across his face as he stared at nothing in particular. “Every Sunday I’d get off work around sunrise, I’m ready to pass out, My daddy’d be waiting for me at my house. Make me drive him uptown to Frankie and Johnny’s for po’ boys. Called it communing with New Orleans.” Morgan smiled at the man softly.

“Did your father tell you anything else about this case that we should know?”

“He tried to. But you guys should see that for yourself.”

^-^

Hotch was silently sipping his cup of coffee, eyes never leaving Piper’s hand scribbling over the projection of the unsub’s letter.

_I’m back with a_ _vengeance_ _. I_ _wanted_ _you to know._

_The_ _last guy made it easy_ _, being out so late, stumbling home drunk._

_I_ _enjoyed_ _slicing around his organs. I_ _thought_ _about sending you one._

_He was_ _asking to be ripped_ _, don’t you think,_ _boss_ _?_

_Yours truly,_

“Bishop, talk to me,” Hotch set down his coffee.

“Shut it, I’m working,” she snapped and whipped her head around, dark circles prominent. Her eyes widened and she slapped a hand on her mouth. “Hotch, I’m so sorry…” Internally, she yelled at herself. _That’s it. He’s gonna fire me_. She closed her eyes waiting on the rebuke.

“Talk to me, Bishop.” Piper opened one eye slowly.

“Wh…What?”

“The message. What do you have?” Hotch’s face was inscrutable as always, except his forehead wasn’t as wrinkled. Piper shook herself before gesturing to the board.

“The unsub says he was asking to be ripped. They’re denying all culpability and they’re self-rationalising.” She pointed to her neat scrawl at the top. “The unsub says they’re back with a vengeance, possibly suggesting a personal agenda, could mean the men are surrogates for a personal wound. A father, a brother, an ex-boyfriend. Most sexual offenders rationalise their behaviour the same way the unsub does.” She scoffed. “They see a woman wearing provocative clothing and they defend themselves by saying she was asking for it.”

“Reid said there wasn’t any sign of sexual assault in the autopsy.”

“Could be a homosexual male whose advances were rejected or impotence. Maybe the violence is enough for arousal,” she suggested, scrunching her nose in disgust. The two agents turned around at the appearance of Spencer and Emily and filled them in on their findings. Reid furrowed his brow, gently resting his elbow on the projector.

“What if he’s trying to act out something else?”

“Like what?”

“With the exception of the victims being men,” he looked at the other agents, “it’s the same M. O.” Piper ran a hand through her hair again.

“I’m confused.”

“All 4 victims were found with their throats slashed, eviscerated, And the murders perpetrated in semi-public places after dark. Investigators taunted with the letters addressed to ‘boss’. The only difference is that case was 100 years ago and the murders took place in London.” Emily’s brain clicked.

“Jack the Ripper,” she blurted out. “The unsub wants us to think that he’s the modern-day version loose in New Orleans.”

^-^

Piper sat on the floor of her hotel room, hair tightly bound by elastic, wearing her signature hoodie and sweatpants, eyes darting between photocopies of blog articles, photos of the last crime scene and the letter. She tried to ignore the persistent rapping outside her door over the soft pop in her head. Sighing, she pulled out her earphones and heaved up to answer the door, motioning for her midnight visitor to enter. Derek’s eyes glanced over the room. “There’s a method to the madness, I promise,” Piper spoke softly, closing the door behind them. “What’s up?”

“I should be asking you that.” Derek saw her avoid his gaze. “Look, I get that maybe anyone else would probably be better at this, but I know you’re hurting. Talk to me. Please,” he begged. Piper swiped her tongue over her lips and motioned him towards the table.

“You know what happened. A man I was meant to help, I was meant to protect, died in my arms.” She scoffed at the stupidity of herself and started pacing. “I felt it. I felt him leave…and I couldn’t do anything.” As the truth sank in, she felt her cheeks wet again. Groaning, she bitterly swiped away the tears. She felt Derek crush his arms around her and she let him hold her for a heartbeat.

“Can I help?” She closed her eyes and pushed him away, harder than intended.

“I don’t need help!” She couldn’t stop the crying and her throat felt raw. “I just want the pain to stop, Derek.”

“Pipes-”

“I just want to sleep. I want to curl up in bed and forget any of this happened. But I can’t!” She slammed her fist against the table and felt her knees give out. She fell to the floor, sobbing, muttering, “I’m so tired,” over and over. Derek sat next to her, hugging her in silence. He held her until he heard her sobs turn to soft snores.

^-^

Another body. Slashed neck. Bleeding out. The rest of them had gone to check, but Piper pored over the profile again at the station, prepping for the presentation later. But something was off. She ran through the profile once more.

_The offender is friendly, agile, somewhere between 30 and 35. He’ll allure with charm and kill with rage. He’s murdering men to reclaim his power. This unsub suffers from low self-esteem, but he probably covers it well. He dresses impeccably to feed the facade. Jack the Ripper was an impetuous lust murderer, whereas this offender is organised, calculating. He might even stalk his victims for days before the actual kill. This killer identifies with Jack the Ripper because he’s lost his own identity, through years of child abuse or some catastrophic event. He overcompensates to hide his insecurities, thus he may hold a position of authority at work. Since we think he’s had medical training, consider EMTs, doctors, veterinarians. For this unsub, the French Quarter is a hunting ground._

^-^

Ethan’s black shoes trudged through the French Quarter, hands smushed in his pinstriped pants. The clink of a rolling beer bottle behind him made him stop. He glanced around, before resuming his journey, a hand smoothing down his charcoal hair. He turned the brick corner and jumped. “Jeez, Reid. You scared me.”

“Always been one step ahead of you, man.”

“Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night.” Ethan’s eyes fell on Spencer’s dark circles, the smile that wouldn’t reach his eyes. “I’m glad you called. It’s good to see you.”

“You too.” Spencer smiled at his old rival. They left to get drinks.

^-^

Gideon and Emily were sitting at the table, waiting for Piper and Derek to bring lunch from the Chinese shop a block away from the station, when her phone rang.

 _“What was the thing Jack the Ripper took from one of his victims? Besides, well, you know, her life?”_ Emily closed her eyes, trying to remember. “ _Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.”_

“I dunno.”

_“A kidney. How horrifyingly fantastic is that? ”_

“Mm-Hmm. And are you going anywhere with this?”

_“Just that I found an unsolved murder that happened 4 months ago In Galveston, Texas, with the same M. O., the victim missing that. very. organ. I amaze myself.”_

“Yeah, me too. Great work,” Emily said, cutting the call.“Garcia found a similar case in Galveston, Texas.”

“A lot of Katrina refugees relocated there. It could be the same guy,” Gideon thought aloud.

“He removed the kidney just like Jack the Ripper.”

“Call Reid and Bishop. I want the 3 of you on a plane to Texas tonight.”

^-^

Spencer leant against the bar, eyes resting on Ethan’s back as the latter picked out his drink. His attention drew to his phone ringing. _Prentiss calling…_ He flipped it shut.

“Are you gonna ask the question?”

“What question?”

“Come on, man. It’s me here. We haven’t talked to each other in years. I know it’s why you called me. Ask the question.”

“Why did you quit after only one day of FBI training?” He smirked, turning back to the bar to grab his whiskey. Swirling it, he moved to speak.

“I’m sure you’ve considered the evidence, analysed the signs. What’s your theory?”

“You were battling your own demons. You didn’t have time to analyse someone else’s,” the doctor proposed sincerely, maintaining eye contact with his friend, watching him grin.

“Not bad, not bad. Those days I did prefer Jack Daniels to Jeffrey Dahmer.” Ethan grew serious, almost jabbing at Spencer’s chest. “They both weigh on your soul eventually.” Ethan’s grimness melted at the second ring of Reid’s phone.

“Sorry,” Spencer murmured softly.

“The bat phone…” Ethan’s voice was gruff as he scoffed.

“Let me ask you this, Ethan. Do you ever regret it?” He kept his eyes on him, intent on his answer.

“You know, I may not be changing the world, but… My music makes me happy. It doesn’t take a profiler to see that you’re not.” Ethan lifted his drink to him and walked to the armchairs in the bar, jazz playing faintly overhead.

“It’s not easy. And it’s not… I… don’t think you’d believe some of the things that I’ve seen.”

^-^

Morgan trotted up the steps into the jet, abruptly stopping the grim conversation between Piper and Emily about pockets.

“I just don’t want to constantly be worried about my phone falling out, you know,” Piper was saying.

“No Reid?” Emily looked at Derek.

“I thought you called him.”

“I did. 4 times.”

“Piper, you try his cell?”

“No, why?”

“I don’t know, but he always picks up your calls.”

“I could try, I suppose.” Piper pulled her cell out of her duffel and dialled his number. “It’s ringing, but he isn’t picking up.”

“So what do we do?” Emily’s eyes darted between them.

“If he isn’t here, he isn’t here,” Morgan grunted. “Wheels up.” He left to presumably talk to the pilot.

“It sounds better when Hotch says it.”

^-^

The young woman they were talking to was distraught and Derek watched his friend put aside her personal nightmares to help this woman through her pain. “What was he like?” The woman smiled sadly.

“Rowdy. Always down for a good time. I just…I didn’t think this could happen to us.” Piper leaned over and held the woman’s hands gently.

“What was he doing that night?”

“He was bar-hopping for his bachelor party, just out celebrating that with friends.”

“Did you see anyone at Leonard’s bachelor party you didn’t know?”

“We all grew up together. They’re like family to me. Whether they met somebody out, you know, That’s a different story.” Piper handed her a glass of water.

“Thank you very much. If you need anything, even just someone to talk to,” Piper pulled out her card. “Feel free to call.”

^-^

On the ride back to the jet, the trio discussed the case. “Each of the last 2 victims was travelling in a group. Both were drinking, both in public arenas, bar-hopping.”

“You know what I don’t get?” Piper leaned to the front, in between Emily and Derek. “Why they left the group. I mean, they’re with the guys, they’re having fun. Say Derek’s our victim. He’s out partying with the guys. What would make you leave your group?”

“It’s like when a lion preys upon an antelope.” Piper just blinked at the analogy.

“You lost me,” Emily confessed.

“That’s because you, Emily Prentiss, have never been one of the antelope.”

“Derek,” Piper interrupted, “you do realise that none of that made any sense to me whatsoever?” He sighed mockingly.

“I didn’t think it would, but then again, you’re not exactly the smartest tool in the shed.”

“Ouch, you’re breaking my heart,” Piper rejoined sarcastically. 

“Ok. Check this out. The antelope travel in packs. So the lion just sits and waits. Waits for just one of the antelope to break away from its herd. So when he’s alone, Vulnerable, and completely unprotected, That’s when the lion strikes. That’s when she makes her move.”

“Wait a minute. Her move?”

“That’s what we’re missing.” Piper scoffed, leaning back in her seat.

“Prentiss, there’s only one thing that’s gonna make a straight man leave his friends on guys night out. And it’ll make him leave every time. One of the victims was out for his bachelor party. Another one out with just the guys. What’s the only temptation that’s gonna lure these men away from each other? A woman.”

^-^

Derek was snoring softly on the jet, his terrible taste in music clearly thrumming in his ears. Piper took her usual spot in the corner couch, wrapped in her blanket, reading 'American Gods’. Emily plopped down next to her. “We have about 20 minutes if you wanna take a nap, Em.”

“I’m good. Can I ask you something?”

“Mhmm.”

“What’s going on with Reid?” Piper flinched at the direct question. Placing her handmade origami bookmark in, she addressed Emily.

“He’s dealing with a lot of crap.” She offered her colleague a small smile in sympathy.

“What should I do?”

“For now, there’s not much we can do. I’ve tried talking to him, but if he won’t open up, I can’t force him. We keep an eye on him, we protect him as best we can but the battle he’s facing is his own. At least, he believes it is.” Emily absorbed this, turning it over in her head. Piper continued. “Look, in my experience, the most important thing is trust, honesty and privacy. If we threaten, criticise or put too many expectations on him, he’ll push us away. That, above all, is dangerous. The last thing he should be right now is alone.”

“So I should do nothing?”

“I know it sounds dumb, but anything else could push him away.” Emily scoffed, pensive.

“I might take that nap now.”

^-^

“Hey, Derek!”

“Hey yourself,” Morgan swivelled his head to face Bishop, walking out from the tarmac with her bag.

“I never said thank you,” Piper stated.

“For what?”

“That night. When you came to my room.” He smiled silently. “Umm… I… I mean, thank you. For everything.”

“Pipes, it was nothing. This job, it changes us. We aren’t the same, we can’t go back. All we can do is move forward.” Piper smiled a little melancholically, before hugging him and planting a quick peck on his cheek.

^-^

Morgan leaned over to pore over the files as Reid joined them at the table. “Hey, you guys are back from Galveston?”

“First light this morning. Where were you?”

“I was out with a friend. I already told you.”

“We called you like 4 times, Spence,” Piper interrupted.

“I didn’t have any cell phone reception, so I didn’t get your message until late.”

“Right. Well, we figured out that our unsub’s a woman.” Piper straightened as Hotch announced there was a new body discovered in the Quarter and grabbed her bag. “Pipes,” Morgan held her arm and murmured gently. “You don’t have to come with if-”

“I’ll be fine, Derek. I have to get back out there someday. Might as well be today.”

^-^

The five agents stood around the body, rancid with the smell of booze, an earlobe cut off, consistent with Jack the Ripper’s patterns, as pointed out by Reid. They started discussing the signatures of female serial killers.

“Basically, you have 2 types. The Sante Kimes model. Cold, calculating. Preys on men for money. Takes her time building relationships,” Morgan summarised to the group. Piper got up from the body.

“It’s more likely we’re dealing with the Aileen Wuornos archetype. Motivated by paranoia and fear,” Piper continued. “Luring men with sex.”

“Our unsub’s organised. She follows a routine,” Gideon noted. “She meets men in a bar, flirts with them over drinks, and suggests that they consummate the evening in an alley.” Piper glanced over at Will walking over to them.

“Office just brought me this,” he said quickly, handing her the letter.

> _Dear boss,_
> 
> _By now I have rid the world of one more._ _So many men, so little time_ _._
> 
> _I hope you don’t mind the mess. They make is so easy, I just can’t help myself._
> 
> _Yours truly._

“That’s weird.”

“What?” Reid glanced over her shoulder.

“She says, 'I hope you don’t mind the mess.’ There’s no attachment. 'So many men, so little time.’ It’s like she’s on a mission.”

“So she’s going to kill again.” They shared a look together and hastily made their way to the cars. The woman would strike again and fast.

^-^

Piper’s eyes darted around the scene, nursing a drink she had no intention of drinking. She was looking for a woman, beautiful enough to lure away a man. She winced and instinctively raised her hand to her head. Groaning, she combed through her tiny purse for an aspirin. “Can I get a water? Thanks.” She glanced over at Emily and Gideon on the porch overlooking the party. Piper sighed. She felt bad for Emily, couldn’t imagine what she’d feel if Spencer’d been acting to her the same way. _Let’s be honest, I’d probably want to slap him._ The pounding music didn’t help. All through college, her 'girlfriends’ had always wanted to 'hit up’ New Orleans. She’d scoffed and said New Orleans’ll still be there after we graduate. And it was. It was just too bad she couldn’t actually enjoy it. She’d grown tired of parties a long time ago. Everyone always asked why, but it was rather simple. Overwhelming. The smell of booze. Blinding lights. _And the men. Ugh_. She’d been forced by Derek to feign interest in 3 guys already, all of them who probably couldn’t spell Madame Pompadour. She almost took a deep breath. That would have been a huge mistake. She passed Derek without a glance, muttering, “When do we get out of here?” He smirked. Piper hoped he knew how lucky she was to have him as a friend. _You don’t deserve him._

_Shut up, I know._

_Well, he’ll figure it out eventually._ Piper rolled her shoulders imperceptibly. _They all do._

“You okay?” Piper almost screeched. Almost.

“Jeez, Em... A little warning next time?” Piper smiled warmly, only to notice Emily’s fingers fidget. “What’s wrong?”

“Gideon wants me to work with Reid.”

“Oh. Yikes.” Emily snorted.

“The guy can’t even talk to me without snapping at me.” Piper rubbed her shoulder gently, sighing.

“We’ve gotta try, right?”

“Yeah. You see anyone suspicious?”

“Nah. Tell me something, why is that the girls always dress to the nines, but guys’ll come to parties wearing a polo shirt? I mean look at this.” She gestured to her flowy lavender dress, tugging the ruffles at her sleeves. “And then look at Gideon.” She motioned towards the older agent wearing a dark polo with jeans. “What I wouldn’t do for a hoodie and sweatpants right now.”

Derek and Spencer pushed past the crowd of girls over to Piper and Emily. “We got nothing.” Piper made to glance at a watch, forgetting that she wasn’t wearing one.

“Well, the day is almost over. It’s possible we missed her and…” Piper halted, collecting herself. “It’s possible she’s already killed someone else.”

^-^

Another body. Another alley. Will couldn’t help feeling responsible. He was supposed to figure this out, yet for the life of him, he couldn’t help the men he had sworn to protect. Getting up from his kneel next to the body, Will glanced over to see the BAU agents step under the yellow tape. “She’s mockin’ us.” Emily walked over to them

“Spence.” Piper pointed towards the poor, bloody man’s mouth. They watched with piqued interest as Spencer pulled the piece of paper from the victim’s jaws. Will watched the young man unfold the note and look up at him.

“It’s addressed to your father.” He handed it over to Piper who started reading aloud.

“Dear Boss, he wanted it, with that sharp tongue and vulgar hand. Thought you’d like to know another will soon get what he deserves. Yours truly,” Piper finished, meeting Spencer’s eyes, as though the sheer power of their IQs would make sense of this. “Weird.” Emily sighed.

“Hey, you mind explaining for us simpletons here?” Before Piper could answer her, Spencer straightened.

“Typically, offenders write letters to be heard. Jack the Ripper bragged about not being caught. This unsub isn’t using correspondence to flaunt her latest kill, only to explain why she did it.”

“That’s not the only thing though,” Piper continued, her train of thought rattling at bullet speed. “'He was asking to be ripped’, 'They make it so easy, I just can’t help myself’, and now this; 'he wanted it’. I can’t believe I didn’t see it earlier. Our unsub’s using the same justification that sexual assaulters use. How many times has a guy said a woman was asking to be raped, or that she made it so easy? That he couldn’t help himself, that she was playing hard to get?”

“She’s a sexual assault victim,” Emily filled in the blanks, “and she’s back with a vengeance.” Piper nodded with barely restrained rage at the tragedy of it all. She turned to the detective.

“Trauma victims rarely talk about events and when they do, it’s with people they trust. The unsub trusts your father, Will, and she doesn’t know he’s gone. If she finds out, she could explode.” Gideon gazed at the note pensively.

“Any sexual assault victims your father helped?”

“Not that I’d know of, and the files were with the homicide division’s case files, washed away with Katrina.”

“Your dad have a partner?”

“Yeah. J. R. Smith. Smitty, they called him.”

“He might remember something.”

“Yeah, but they had a falling out.”

“What about?”

“I don’t know. They stopped talking when he left sex crimes.”

“Do you have a problem calling him?”

“Not if it means breakin’ this case.” Will was about to reach for his phone, except he noticed a little ink on the young man’s hand. He knelt down, but the hand was turned. He looked up at JJ. “Honey, do you mind if I borrow your hand for a minute?” With a gentle grip on her delicate gloved hand, Will turned it over slowly. “Well, I’ll be damned.” Piper looked away from Emily to the hand the detective and JJ were holding.

“You recognise that?”

“The stamp on the victim’s hand… It’s admittance into the Mon Cherie. It’s a bar not far from here.” Will let go of JJ and closed his eyes. “9 years ago, it was called Jones.”

^-^

The pixel gnome ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, jumped as high as gravity would allow him. He spotted a glint of gold and leapt, only to smack face-first into a neon wall. Garcia sighed, leaning back in her chair. The familiar ringtone chirp brought a wave of comfort. “O’ Captain, my captain.”

_“I need you.”_

“'Course ya do honey. The wizard of all things knowable and unknowable waits upon your request.”

_“Are there any newspaper reports about a rape at a bar called Jones?”_

“Je n'ai rien, ma chérie.”

_“You sure? It would have been about 9 years ago.”_

“Nada.”

_“Ok…umm… Cross-reference Will LaMontagne Sr with Jones Bar.”_

“Bull’s eye, Police blotter answered a disturbance at Jones Bar in the French Quarter, February 19, 1998. Looks like it was during Mardi Gras.”

_“You are the best ever.”_

“Aww, and you are the most perceptive. Garcia out.” She pulled a gummy bear out of her bottom-most drawer and resumed her game.

^-^

Four agents and a detective stepped into a Louisianan bar. It sounded like a sick joke her father would tell his 'mates’. She tied up her hair with the elastic around her wrist and placed her hands in her pockets, watching the two detectives speak intently. She watched as the other three agents asked the detective what happened there in 1998 thrice.

“It was Mardi Gras. Some girl claimed she was raped. In this bar. I wasn’t buying it. My best recollection, she said she was sitting at the bar with 2 friends. One of the boys asked her if she wanted to play some pool. Witnesses claim she was up for anything. She followed him up there, his friend not close behind them. She knew he was there. That girl was a tease. She was looking for a good time. Anyway, a couple of guys were going along with that.” Piper snorted quietly and stepped forward.

“Did she yell for help?”

“She said she did. But not a single person claimed that they heard her.”

“You registered a potential rape as a disturbance?”

“It was Mardi Gras.” The detective loomed over her and she could smell the booze off of him, just like her father. “That girl had enough beads hanging from her neck to jewel a small city. Anyone exposes themselves that much in one day is not a credible witness in my book.” Piper smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She raised a finger to the man’s chest, jabbing him away from her.

“Did she want to press charges?”

“I told her it was a waste of time.”

“So you told her to ignore what she claimed was rape? You asked a young woman in need to, what, forget about it?”

“Pipes-” Gideon stopped JJ.

“I knew one of the accused. He was a good kid. He didn’t need the stink of that accusation.”

“They’re always good kids.” Piper’s voice raised a notch higher. “New Jersey, 2001, 16-year-old rapes a girl, films it, circulates the video for months and texts his friends bragging about when your first time having sex was rape. Do you know what happened, Detective Smith? The judge refused to prosecute him because he was a good kid. Because he came from a decent family. You don’t get that right, Detective. You don’t have the right to be judge, jury and executioner. Four men are dead,” she hissed. “And I bet you don’t even remember her name.” Her gaze was hard, confronting, and she didn’t step away, not until Gideon murmured for her to take a walk. So she left.

^-^

Sarah Danlin used to be a med student at Tulane University. One night, on February 19, 1998, she was in a bar called “Jones” with some friends during Mardi Gras. A man flirted with her and managed to lure her away from her friends to an empty pool room where he and a friend raped her. She dropped out of medical school five days later. Piper stared at her picture. “I always thought…if I worked hard enough,” her voice was hoarse as she spoke to Will. “If I worked hard enough…talked to enough people…then…this wouldn’t happen. But…I’m starting to see the silver lining.” She knew how this would go. There was a 50% chance Danlin would go quietly. Regardless, she would cry herself to sleep when she got home. It was the only way she got any rest. Crying to the point of exhaustion.

“What’s the silver lining?”

Sighing, she put the picture away and reached for her gun to stow away, glancing at the handsome detective next to her. “I’ve..umm…talked to a lot of survivors. The only people they open up to are the people they trust.” Piper met his eyes. “She trusted your father.” She bumped her shoulder against his. “That means, your father was probably the kindest man she’d ever met.” She heard her name called. As she got up to leave, she turned back to him, smiling, and said, “If you’re gonna ask JJ out, by the way, she loves clichés. But I didn’t say anything.”

^-^

The troop got out of the SUV and quietly approached Danlin’s apartment. Hotch motioned Piper, Will and Spencer to go through the fire escape. Piper, being the shortest, entered through the window, torch blazing. She heard the door kicked down. _Derek_ , she sighed. “Clear,” she heard Hotch’s voice in the next room.

“She’s not here.” Piper shoved her gun back into her holster, turning to Reid and continued. “Tell me you know something.” Reid pursed his lips and closed his eyes, gears turning. Will looked between the two of them.

“What’s happening to him?”

“If he concentrates hard enough, Saint Caedwalla will speak to him and reveal where Danlin is,” she whispered and sighed at Will’s blank stare. “Patron saint of serial killers. It was meant to be a joke.”

“Pipes, there are some Ripper-ologists who speculate that Mary Kelly was actually killed in a flat that Jack the Ripper rented for the night.” Piper nodded and rushed over to Hotch. They got Garcia to check Sarah Danlin’s credit card accounts. Their wizard came back with a location for the fine furry friends, 2 blocks from where they were.

^-^

Sarah had her knife to the bleeding man’s throat, straddling him. Hotch slammed the motel door open and they dispersed around the room to surround the bed. Piper noted the wild look in Sarah’s eyes, the silky fabric tying the injured man to the bed-frame, blood leaking from the slashes in his body. Hotch whispered into his mic for an EMT. She watched carefully as Derek attempted to calm her down, but her eyes flicked to Will who placed his gun slowly on the bedside table. Slowly he introduced himself and she saw recognition flash on Sarah’s face. “You trusted him.” He levelled his eyes at her. “You trust me?” With shallow breaths, Sarah asked where he was. “The storm took him,” Will said evenly as Piper gripped the gun and watched her. She watched a tear roll down her cheek. She watched her take deep breaths and tremble. She watched Sarah open her palm with the knife and watched as Will snatched it away. She watched as Will took the young woman away gently and as the EMT carried out the victim. She watched JJ approaching Will outside the ambulance, smiled and entered her SUV, ready to pack up and head home. She couldn’t wait to watch Garcia’s reaction.

^-^

“EEK!!!” Penelope’s scream from the conference room galvanised the agents into action, Derek leaping into action first. Piper just smirked and dropped her duffle near her desk and strolled over, hands jammed in pockets. Derek’s eyes flitted from the cupcake box to Penelope huddled in a corner, spitting out a yellow cupcake into the nearest trashcan. Piper leaned against the doorway as Emily and JJ took a closer glance and sniffed at the baked goods.

“That smells like-”

“Mustard.” Simultaneously everyone looked at Piper’s grin, her eyes slowly widening as Garcia got up, and everyone watched, giggling, as Penelope ran after Piper before hearing the word 'Truce’ yelled before a high-pitched scream. Spencer smiled for the first time in a week as he gawked at Penelope smearing Piper’s face with cake.


End file.
